Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 42:10
Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and] his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
10 13. The mention of “new things” in Isa 42:9 suggests this “new song,” in which the creation is called to celebrate Jehovah’s redemption of His people. The expression is common in the Psalms (Psa 33:3 Psa 40:3, Psa 96:1, Psa 98:1, Psa 144:9, Psa 149:1; cf. Rev 14:3). These Psalmists probably borrowed the term from our prophet, whose use of it bears the stamp of originality. It is a song “such as has never been heard in the heathen world” (Delitzsch). see ch. Isa 24:14-16.
from the end of the earth ] means (as in Gen 19:4; Jer 51:31) “from end to end.”
ye that go down to the sea ] seafarers, cf. Psa 107:23. There is some awkwardness in the following words: and all that is therein (lit. “and the fulness thereof”), which are naturally parallel to “the sea” and not to “those who go down to it.” The harshness is removed by a plausible emendation of Lowth, who reads the whole clause in accordance with Psa 96:11; Psa 98:7 let the sea roar and the fulness thereof ( for ).
the isles ] see on ch. Isa 40:15. The mention of the sea and its coasts before the land is one indication of the prominence which the western lands have in the mind of this prophet.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sing unto the Lord a new song – It is common, as we have seen, to celebrate the goodness of God in a hymn of praise on the manifestation of any special act of mercy (see the notes at Isa 12:1-6; Isa 25:1-12; 26) Here the prophet calls upon all people to celebrate the divine mercy in a song of praise in view of his goodness in providing a Redeemer. The sentiment is, that Gods goodness in providing a Saviour demands the thanksgiving of all the world.
A new song – A song hitherto unsung; one that shall be expressive of the goodness of God in this new manifestation of his mercy. None of the hymns of praise that had been employed to express his former acts of goodness would appropriately express this. The mercy was so great that it demanded a song expressly made for the occasion.
And his praise frown the end of the earth – From all parts of the earth. Let the most distant nations who are to be interested in this great
Ye that go down to the sea – That is, traders, navigators, merchants, seamen; such as do business in the great waters. The sense is, that they would be interested in the plan of mercy through a Redeemer; and hence, they are called on to celebrate the goodness of God (compare the notes at Isa 60:5). This is referred to by the prophet, first, because of the great multitude who thus go down to the sea; and, secondly, because their conversion will have so important an influence in diffusing the true religion to distant nations.
And all that is therein – Margin, as Hebrew, The fullness thereof. All that fill it; that is, either in ships, or by dwelling on the islands and coasts. The meaning is, that all who were upon the sea – the completeness, the wholeness of the maritime population, being equally interested with all others in the great salvation, should join in celebrating the goodness of God.
The isles – A large portion of the inhabitants of the world are dwellers upon islands. In modern times, some of the most signal displays of the divine mercy, and some of the most remarkable conversions to Christianity, have been there. In the Sandwich Islands, and in Ceylon, God has poured out his Spirit, and their inhabitants have been among the first in the pagan world to embrace the gospel.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 42:10
Sing unto the Lord a new song
New things and a new song
The new things become the impulse and matter of a new song, such as was never yet heard in the heathen world.
(F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
Joy among the heathen
Reduced to ordinary prose style, it is a prediction that changes are to take place joyfully affecting the condition of the whole world. (J. A. Alexander.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. Ye that go down to the sea] This seems not to belong to this place; it does not well consist with what follows, “and the fulness thereof.” They that go down upon the sea means navigators, sailors, traders, such as do business in great waters; an idea much too confined for the prophet, who means the sea in general, as it is used by the Hebrews, for the distant nations, the islands, the dwellers on the sea-coasts all over the world. I suspect that some transcriber had the 23d verse of Psalm cvii. Ps 107:23 running in his head, yoredey haiyam booniyoth, and wrote in this place yoredey haiyam instead of yiram haiyam, or yari, or yaran; “let the sea roar, or shout, or exult.” But as this is so different in appearance from the present reading, I do not take the liberty of introducing it into the translation. Conjeceram legendum yegidu, ut Isa 42:12; sed non favent Versiones. “I would propose to read yegidu, as in Isa 42:12; but this is not supported by the Versions.” –Secker.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Sing unto the Lord a new song, upon this new and great occasion, the calling and salvation of the world by Christ.
From the end of the earth; all nations, from one end of the earth. to another, who shall be sharers in this mercy.
Ye that go down to the sea, & c.; you that go by sea, carry these glad tidings from Judea, where Christ was born, and lived, and died, and published the gospel, unto the remotest parts of the earth, that they may join with you in singing forth Gods praises for his marvellous kindness and grace to them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. new songsuch as has neverbefore been sung, called for by a new manifestation of God’s grace,to express which no hymn for former mercies would be appropriate. Thenew song shall be sung when the Lord shall reign in Jerusalem, andall “nations shall flow unto it” (Isa 2:2;Isa 26:1; Rev 5:9;Rev 14:3).
ye that go down to theseawhose conversion will be the means of diffusing the Gospelto distant lands.
all . . . thereinallthe living creatures that fill the sea (Ps96:11) [MAURER]. Or,all sailors and voyagers [GESENIUS].But these were already mentioned in the previous clause: there hecalled on all who go upon the sea; in this clause all animalsin the sea; so in Isa42:11, he calls on the inanimate wilderness to lift up its voice.External nature shall be so renovated as to be in unison with themoral renovation.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Sing unto the Lord a new song,…. On account of the new things before prophesied of, and now done; on account of redemption and salvation by Christ, and the conversion of the Gentiles through the light of the Gospel brought among them; the song of redeeming love, and for the Gospel, and regenerating grace; and not the Jews only, but the Gentiles also, are called upon to sing this song, as having a special share in the blessings, the subject of it: hence it follows,
and his praise from the end of the earth; thither the Gospel being sent, and there made effectual to the conversion of many, these are exhorted to sing and show forth the praises of him who had called them out of Heathenish blindness and darkness into the marvellous light of the Gospel and grace of God:
ye that go down into the sea; in ships, that trade by sea; such as the Phoenicians, Tyrians, and Sidonians, to whom the Gospel came, and where it was preached with success, to the conversion of many of them, and therefore had reason to join in this new song; see Ac 11:19 or such that went by sea to distant parts, on purpose to publish the Gospel, as Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy; and who, succeeding in their work, had reason to rejoice; see Ac 13:4:
and all that is therein: or “the fulness of it” s; meaning not the fishes in it, but the islands of it, as next explained:
the isles, and the inhabitants thereof; as Cyprus, Crete, and other isles, which heard the joyful sound of the Gospel, and embraced it,
Ac 13:4, and, as the sea often denotes the western part of the world from Judea, this may design the European parts of it, and the islands in it, particularly ours of Great Britain and Ireland, whither the Gospel came very early.
s “et plenitudo ejus”, Munster, Pagainus, Montanus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prediction of these “new things,” which now follows, looks away from all human mediation. They are manifestly the work of Jehovah Himself, and consist primarily in the subjugation of His enemies, who are holding His people in captivity. “Sing ye to Jehovah a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, ye navigators of the sea, and its fulness; ye islands, and their inhabitants. Let the desert and the cities thereof strike up, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the rock-city may rejoice, shout from the summits of the mountains. Let them give glory to Jehovah, and proclaim His praise in the islands. Jehovah, like a hero will He go forth, kindle jealousy like a man of war; He will breath forth into a war-cry, a yelling war-cry, prove Himself a hero upon His enemies.” The “new things” furnish the impulse and materials of “a new song,” such as had never been heard in the heathen world before. This whole group of vv. is like a variation of Isa 24:14-15. The standing-place, whence the summons is uttered, is apparently Ezion-geber, at the head of the Elanitic Gulf, that seaport town from which in the time of the kings the news of the nations reached the Holy Land through the extensive commerce of Israel. From this point the eye stretches to the utmost circle of the earth, and then returns from the point where it meets with those who “go down to the sea,” i.e., who navigate the ocean which lies lower than the solid ground. These are to sing, and everything that lives and moves in the sea is to join in the sailors’ song. The islands and coast lands, that are washed by the sea, are likewise to sing together with their inhabitants. After the summons has drawn these into the net of the song of praise, it moves into the heart of the land. The desert and its cities are to lift up (viz., “their voice”), the villages which Kedar inhabits. The reference to Sela’, the rock-city of Edomitish Nabataea, which is also mentioned in Isa 16:1 (the Wadi Musa, which is still celebrated for its splendid ruins), shows by way of example what cities are intended. Their inhabitants are to ascend the steep mountains by which the city is surrounded, and to raise a joyful cry ( yitsvachu , to cry out with a loud noise; cf., Isa 24:11). Along with the inhabitants of cities, the stationary Arabs, who are still called Hadariye in distinction from Wabariye, the Arabs of the tents, are also summoned; hadar ( c hatser ) is a fixed abode, in contrast to bedu , the steppe, where the tents are pitched for a short time, now in one place and now in another. In Isa 42:12 the summons becomes more general. The subject is the heathen universally and in every place; they are to give Jehovah the glory (Psa 56:2), and declare His praise upon the islands, i.e., to the remotest ends of the whole world of nations. In Isa 42:13 there follows the reason for this summons, and the theme of the new song in honour of the God of Israel, viz., His victory over His enemies, the enemies of His people. The description is anthropomorphically dazzling and bold, such as the self-assurance and vividness of the Israelitish idea of God permitted, without any danger of misunderstanding. Jehovah goes out into the conflict like a hero; and like a “man of war,” i.e., like one who has already fought many battles, and is therefore ready for war, and well versed in warfare, He stirs up jealousy (see at Isa 9:6). His jealousy has slumbered as it were for a long time, as if smouldering under the ashes; but now He stirs it up, i.e., makes it burn up into a bright flame. Going forward to the attack, , “He breaks out into a cry,” , “yea, a yelling cry” ( kal Zep 1:14, to cry with a yell; hiphil, to utter a yelling cry). In the words, “He will show Himself as a hero upon His enemies,” we see Him already engaged in the battle itself, in which He proves Himself to possess the strength and boldness of a hero ( hithgabbar only occurs again in the book of Job). The overthrow which heathenism here suffers at the hand of Jehovah is, according to our prophet’s view, the final and decisive one. The redemption of Israel, which is thus about to appear, is redemption from the punishment of captivity, and at the same time from all the troubles that arise from sin. The period following the captivity and the New Testament times here flow into one.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 10-17: SUCCESS OF THE SERVANT’S MISSION DIVINELY ASSURED
1. In verses 10-12 the whole earth is called upon to sing forth the worthy praise of Jehovah, the true and living God!
a. Surely this is a song of millennial blessedness!
b. There must be a special reason for specific reference to Kedar, Petra and the desert of Arabia, (vs. 11; see notes on Isa 63:1-6); Rev 12:14-15.
2. The background for this outburst of praise is the Lord’s arising for a battle wherein He will subdue proud and lofty kingdoms to His own sovereign rule.
a. Like a mighty man of war – His jealousy stirred up, and His hand outstretched – He will cry, roar and prevail against His enemies, (vs. 13; Jer 25:31-33; Zep 3:8; Zec 14:3; Joe 3:9-21; Rev 19:11-21; comp. Exo 14:13-14; Exo 14:23-31).
b. For a long time His judgment has been suspended.
1) In patient stillness and silence He has refrained from striking out at sinners – holding His peace, (2Pe 3:9).
2) But a righteous God cannot forever permit sin to run its course; He must act; sin must be judged; rebellion must be ended!
3) Thus, Isaiah focuses attention on the hour of judgment.
c. In startling language, God is pictured as crying out, as a woman in travail – impatient to perfect the new thing He has purposed in the earth!
1) Judgment is necessary, and it will be executed faithfully, (ch. 34; Isa 66:24; Isa 63:1-6; etc.).
2) But, beyond that, is a new creation – the rejuvenation of the natural world, (Isa 35:1-2; Isa 41:19; Isa 55:13; Isa 60:13).
3) Characterized by long life and peace (Isa 65:20-23), the end of warfare in nature (65:25), and the restoration of fellowship with God (Isa 65:24), the divine rule will be re-established.
4) In this ultimate triumph (divinely purposed from the beginning, and toward which human history has ever progressed) the people of God will realize the fullness of redemption!
3. Verses 16-17 describe the Lord’s redemption of His own people (Israel) – not for anything they have done, but for His own name’s sake, (Isa 43:25; Isa 48:9-11; Eze 20:44).
a. They have been so blind that they knew now where they were going, (Isa 30:18-21; Jer 31:9; Luk 1:78-79; comp. Mat 15:14).
b. But He does not utterly forsake them, (vs. 16; 41:17; Jos 1:5; Psa 94:14; Heb 13:5).
c. When He has brought them back, they will be ashamed of the graven images to which they have said: “Ye are our gods”, (vs. 17; Isa 1:29; Isa 44:9-11).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10. Sing to Jehovah. He now exhorts the people to gratitude; for God’s favors ought always to excite us, by the remembrance of them, to give thanks and to celebrate his praises. Besides, by that exhortation he calls believers to behold the prophecy as actually accomplished, and confirms those promises of which he spoke. We ought to observe this as the design of the Prophet, that there is no reason why believers, though they are severely oppressed, should give way to sorrow, but that good hope ought to encourage them to gladness, that they may now prepare to render thanksgiving.
The subject of this song is, that Christ has been revealed to the world, and sent by the Father, in order to relieve the miseries of his Church, and to restore her to perfect order, and indeed, as it were, to renew the whole world. As it was difficult to believe this, the Prophet wished to remove every doubt, in order to fix these predictions more deeply in their hearts. Nor ought we to wonder that the Prophet labors so hard to arouse them when they were reduced to the greatest straits, and had no longer any hope of safety. The mere aspect of things might shake their faith, and even produce suspicion that all that the prophets had foretold was unfounded and absurd. The object, of this exhortation therefore is, that when affairs are utterly desperate, they should be cheerful and rely on these promises.
A new song. By new he means an excellent, beautiful, and elegant song, not one that is ordinary or common, but a song which may arouse men to admiration, as relating to the extraordinary grace of God, of which there had never been so remarkable an example. In this sense it is also used in Psa 33:3, and Psa 96:1 New is here contrasted with what is Ordinary, and thus he extols the infinite mercy of God, which was to be revealed in Christ, and which ought therefore to be celebrated and sung with the highest praises. Hence we infer that each of us ought to be the more zealous in proclaiming the praises of God, in proportion to the greater number of favors which we have received. It is indeed the duty of all men to sing praise to God, for there is no person who is not bound to it by the strongest obligations; but more lofty praises ought to proceed from those on whom more valuable gifts have been bestowed. Now, since God has laid open the fountain of all blessings in Christ, and has displayed all spiritual riches, we need not wonder if he demand that we offer to him an unwonted and excellent sacrifice of praise.
It ought to be observed that this song cannot be sung but by renewed men; for it ought to proceed from the deepest feeling of the heart, and therefore we need the direction and influence of the Spirit, that we may sing those praises in a proper manner. Besides, he does not exhort one or a few nations to do this, but all the nations in the world; for to all of them Christ was sent.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
b. SING A SONG OF PRAISE
TEXT: Isa. 42:10-17
10
Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
11
Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12
Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.
13
Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man; he will stir up his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies.
14
I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
15
I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools.
16
And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them.
17
They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, Ye are our gods.
QUERIES
a.
Who is to sing to Jehovah?
b.
Why a new song?
PARAPHRASE
Sing to Jehovah a new song appropriate to the new thing He will do. Sing His praises all over the whole earth. Let all who travel over the world by sea and every creature in the sea sing to Jehovah. Let all the coastlands around the sea, the islands, and all who inhabit them sing to the Lord. Let the inhabitants of the desert cities and villages of Arabia and Edom shout loud praises from their mountain tops. Let all the Gentiles in the far off western islands praise and glorify Jehovah as God. The reason the whole earth should sing and shout the praises of Jehovah is that Jehovah is going forth as a mighty warrior to win a decisive and complete victory over His enemies and all who oppose His redemptive work for man. Jehovah says He has held Himself in restraint against His enemies long enough. Now, like the great inhalations and expirations of a woman gasping in child-delivery, that which I have so long concealed in Myself shall be accomplished. I will make the land of My enemies a waste land; its hills and mountains I will level; its vegetation I will kill with drought; I will dry up its rivers and pools until they are dry land. I am going to devastate My enemies. The ones My enemies have captured and made blind I will deliver by a deliverance known only to Me. I will lead them along a Way they can never discover. I will turn their darkness into light and all the rugged hindrances and crooked places will be straightened out by Me. These are the things I will do, says Jehovah, and I will not forsake all these blind ones. When I accomplish this great, magnificent victory, it will reveal the utter shame of idolatry and cause those who worship idols to recognize the impotence of idols.
COMMENTS
Isa. 42:10-12 SING TO JEHOVAH: Gods people are invited to sing. The motive for this is the promise of the coming Servant and the great victory He will win and the deliverance He will accomplish. The work of the Servant will be so unique (spiritual deliverance) that it will be a NEW song. The subject matter for the lyrics of this song has never been available before (the redemption of the Christ). Gods people have always been able to sing praises for Gods love, power, deliverance (cf. Psa. 40:3; Psa. 42:8; Psa. 96:1; Psa. 98:1; Psa. 149:1; Isa. 30:29, etc.). But this new song will be one unknown to angels for it will be known only to the redeemed (cf. Rev. 14:3; Rev. 15:3-4). It will be a song to be sung by the universal kingdom of Godpeople from the western isles (Gentile regions) will sing it (Eph. 5:18-20; Col. 3:12-17). No area is to be excluded from the invitation to sing this new songnot even those who dwell in wilderness (sparsely inhabited) regions. Of course, one must believe and appropriate the Life the Servant provides before one may sing the songbut all are invited.
This passage, and the many others about songs of believers, would lead us to think that the lyrics of Christian music should be restricted primarily to the objective deeds of God and Christ in the great work of redemption and much less (than in the current fad) to the subjective experience of the song writers. The great redemptive acts of God do not vary and are not dependent upon the vascillating fickleness of human emotions and feelings for their apologetic or persuasive value. Human religious experiences are dependent upon feelings. Not everyone feels the same way all the time. But Gods deeds are always true, no matter how anyone feels. Let them give glory unto Jehovah . . .
Isa. 42:13-17 SONG OF JUSTICE: The song will be about Gods long awaited defeat of His enemies having finally been completed. God has, for good reasons of his own, held back in sending the Servant to defeat His enemies once and for all. It has not even been easy for Jehovah to refrain from doing battle and winning the victory. Many prophets and godly men have questioned and will continue (e.g., Habakkuk; the apostles, Act. 1:6) to question Gods time-table of kingdom establishment. But God will do things when the time is right (cf. Gal. 4:4; Heb. 1:1, etc.). And so the time came for God to disarm the principalities and powers and make a public example of them, triumphing over them in him (Col. 2:15). That was when He destroyed the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14-18). All this will cost God pain and travail. The great Creator will agonize and hurt because in accomplishing the work of redemption He will make Himself vulnerable by loving through the Incarnate Son as He has never loved before. The agony and pain of God will be manifested physically in the Son and His blood-stained cross.
All the things men have depended upon before will be dried up and the blind will be delivered from the enemies of Jehovah by the Servants leading in a way no one knows. It was very apparent when Jesus began to teach concerning the Kingdom of God that no one knew Gods way. Men had to have it revealed to them. So Jesus revealed itin the Sermon on the Mount, in the Sermon on Parables. Only the humble and penitent were able to recognize the Way (cf. Harold Fowlers comments, Matthew, Vol. I & II, College Press, on the above sermons). The blind in the passage before us refers to the spiritually blind (cf. Isa. 9:2; Isa. 61:1-2; Mat. 4:12-17; Luk. 4:16-30; Joh. 9:35-41; Rev. 3:15 f).
But while the blind will be led to the light, those who think they see through idolatry (vain philosophies of worldly-minded) will be turned back and utterly put to shame. As a matter of fact, what becomes deliverance for the true Israel of God (the redemptive work of the Servantdeath and resurrection), becomes a complete defeat for Gods enemies (idolatry and all other human ideologies). If idolatry and human philosophys attempts to deal with the human predicament (sin) are ever to be put to shame it is through the historically accomplished and historically eyewitnessed bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the light of what God did through this great event, it is the shame of all shames to worship gods of human originbe they of stone and wood or philosophers minds.
QUIZ
1.
What is the motive for the song that is to be sung by believers?
2.
Why is it a new song?
3.
Who can know this song?
4.
What should be the lyrics of Christian songs?
5.
When did God finally stop refraining from His long awaited defeat of His enemies?
6.
Who are the blind?
7.
What is the shame of all shames?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(10) Sing unto the Lord a new song.The words are familiar in the Psalms (Psa. 33:3; Psa. 40:3; Psa. 98:1) and are probably quoted from them. The only touch of definite localisation is found in the mention of Kedar. (See Note on Isa. 21:16.) Starting from this, the other terms gain a more defined significance. The proclamation seems to be addressed to the nations of the Eastern, not the Western world, as if to the ships that sailed from Elath or Ezion-geber down the Elanitic Gulf. The rock, or Sela (see Isa. 16:1), is the Petra of Roman Iduma; the ships are those that trade to Ophir or the land of Sinim. The cities and the nomad tribes are all invited to join in the hymn of praise, and it is to be echoed in the far-off islands, or coasts, of the Indian Ocean.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10-13. Sing a new song On this marvellous unseen religious development which is to fill the whole earth, God calls for jubilation. The “new things” furnish the impulse for a “new song.” This means not only fresh praise but a fresh occasion for it. The whole world of the heathen are summoned to join in it.
Standing on some Palestinian eminence, the prophet’s eye sweeps the circle of the earth lands to the far east, and waters to the west and south.
Ye that go down to the sea The Red Sea on the south, and the Mediterranean on the west.
The isles, and the inhabitants thereof These take in all the populous western shores; the beautiful shephelah, or plains stretching in length from Carmel to the South Land, and in width to the foot hills of the Palestinian range.
The wilderness and the cities thereof These are the vast steppes eastward, yet to be ideally more blooming, (Isa 35:1,) and to become hospitable tracts for towns and cities, like oases and great river valleys.
Kedar This includes the wild Ishmaelites, and their peaceful civilization is implied.
All these are summoned to lift, with grand good will, their voices in praise of the forthcoming renovation of mankind. The strong imagery of Isa 42:10 indicates that the things predicted are the ultimate sure triumphs of the Gospel in all the earth. God, in his almightiness, pledges it. Time is never noted, but all shall come to pass in his own time. Non-infringement of the free human will is the divine principle of action, and this necessitates time on and for the human side. The promise as to extent of renovation has no limit, either in amplitude or completeness.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
A Further Song of Deliverance And Judgment ( Isa 42:10-17 ).
Following on the revelation of the Servant comes the joy of the nations in seeing God at work though Him. In this brief section movement is rapid. The righteous will sing for joy at their deliverance, but God will shout His battlecries against the ungodly. He will introduce judgment with the earnestness of a woman in labour, and will bring drought upon the world. He will make easy the way of His chosen ones, but those who trust in idols will be turned away and be greatly ashamed.
In one sense this is the process of history, the advancement of God’s good news, and God’s continuing acts of judgment against unrighteousness. But in the final analysis it looks to the final triumph, and the final judgment of the wicked.
Isa 42:10-12
The Song Of Triumph and Praise ( Isa 42:10-12 ).
Isa 42:10-12
‘Sing to Yahweh a new song,
And his praise from the end of the earth.
You who go down to the sea,
And all that is in it,
The isles and its inhabitants.
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up (their voices),
The villages that Kedar inhabits,
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory to Yahweh,
And declare his praise in the islands.’
The certain success of the Servant is now made clear. The whole world is called on to give praise. Those who are at the end of the earth (north), those who go down to the sea, and those who are in the distant coastlands across the Great Sea and beyond (west), those who dwell in the cities in the wilderness, and those who live in Kedar’s tent villages (east), and those who dwell in the rocky clefts (south – probably Sela in Edom. Oba 1:3 in his burden against Edom speaks of those who dwell in the clefts of Sela). The point is that all will be rejoicing, north, west, east and south, in every furthest and most obscure place, even the dry places in the wilderness, because of the work of the Servant.
They will sing to Yahweh a new song. It is a new song because of the new things that are happening. They will give Him praise, they will lift up their voices, they will sing, and those in the clefts of the rocks will shout from the top of the mountains and give glory to Yahweh, while those in the islands and coastlands will declare His praise. For the Servant is triumphant and his words and work will hold sway over the whole world, and they rejoice in it together. We may rightly see this as the result of the spreading of the Gospel by the early church, as the peoples rejoiced over the Good News that they had received (Act 13:52), and as occurring through His church today, but in the end it depicts the introduction of the heavenly reality in the new heaven and the new earth, the everlasting kingdom. The one leads into the other.
Isa 42:13-15
The Judgment That Is Inevitably Coming ( Isa 42:13-15 ).
Isa 42:13
‘Yahweh will go forth as a mighty man,
He will stir up zeal like a man of war,
He will cry, yes, he will shout aloud,
He will prove how mighty he is against his enemies.’
As often in Isaiah we move to the contrast. On the one hand glory, on the other judgment. While the Servant is bringing about the Kingly Rule of God, and the redeemed are singing their song, and shouting in rejoicing from the mountains, God will also be visiting the world in judgment, and shouting out His battlecries. It is described in terms of a Champion going out to war. He will go out like a warrior, He will stir up zeal in Himself, like soldiers stir up each other’s zeal before the battle, He will call out against the enemy, yes, He will shout His battlecries, and then He will battle mightily against His enemies, bringing them to destruction and defeat. Again it will occur through history but find its final fulfilment at the end of time, for Isaiah is not depicting particular events, he is describing what God will do when He chooses to act.
Isa 42:14
“I have held my peace from the distant past (everlasting),
I have been still and refrained myself,
Now will I cry out like a woman in labour,
I will gasp and pant together.’
From the moment when man first fell, and even from before, from His awareness of that in eternity, God has waited for this moment. He has been still and restrained Himself from acting, but now the time has come to bring judgment to birth, and like a woman in labour He cries out, He pants, He gasps, all at once. The end of all things is at hand, and God is constrained until it is fulfilled. Never was moment so important.
Isa 42:15
‘I will make waste mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation,
And I will make the rivers, islands,
And will dry up the pools.’
Compare the description of the judgment of the earth in Isa 24:1; Isa 24:3-5, and of Eden in Isa 34:9-10 and contrast Isa 35:1; Isa 35:7. Here the cause of it all is drought. The vegetation in the mountains and hills will be dried up and the mountains made like a waste place, the river levels will drop resulting in large islands where once there was water, and the pools will dry up and become empty. The rain has not come and the land is bare and desolate. So, while for the people of God there is blessing, (often described in terms of the exact opposite of this), for the unbelieving world there is only final judgment.
Isa 42:16
But The Chosen Will Be Led Into The Light By God Through The Servant ( Isa 42:16 ).
Isa 42:16
‘And I will bring the blind by a way that they do not know,
And in paths that they do not know will I lead them,
I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight,
These things I will do and I will not forsake them.’
While God is going forward in judgment He will not forget His own. This is God’s preparation for that day, and describes God at work through the Servant (see Isa 49:9-11). The blind will be led by him safely through their darkness in ways and paths that they do not know because they cannot see. The visual image of blind men being led along was a common one, and is used here of the guiding of men towards light by the Servant. For walking in the way compare Isa 35:8. Life before God is often spoken of in such terms. It is a daily walk. And then at last the darkness will be made light before them, and they will see.
In Isa 42:19 the question is, ‘Who is blind but My servant?’. So here the Servant also is ministering to that part of Israel who were blind, just as in Isa 49:6 he will ‘raise up the tribes of Jacob’.
‘And the crooked ways will be made straight.’ This latter is the same as happened to the route that Yahweh took in Isa 40:4. It is a way prepared for conquerors. It is a way made easier by the Servant. And over all is the promise that He will do this and will not forsake them. God’s deep concern for them is revealed.
There may be behind this a reference to the Exodus. Then Israel stumbled along like deaf and blind people, led by His servant Moses, and God made darkness light before them, leading them in a pillar of fire, and He straightened the crooked way, and brought them safely through, never forsaking them in spite of their deserts. And He will ever do the same for those whom He draws to Him.
Isa 42:17
Idolaters Will Be Turned Back And Will Be Greatly Ashamed ( Isa 42:17 ).
Isa 42:17
‘They will be turned back,
They will be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in graven images,
Who say to molten images,
“You are our gods”.’
In contrast to those who see are those who are idolaters. To the cry ‘behold your God’ (Isa 40:9) they reply ‘you idols are our gods’. God does not so much have deep concern for them (they have forfeited that), but deep concern about them. Their end can only be disastrous for they are trusting in nothings. This can only result in their discomfort and shame. Instead of going forward confidently like the blind led by the Servant they will be turned back and discomfited.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Joy Over the Judgment of Condemnation upon the Ungodly
v. 10. Sing unto the Lord a new song, v. 11. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof, v. 12. Let them give glory unto the Lord and declare His praise in the islands, v. 13. The Lord, v. 14. I have long time holden My peace, v. 15. I will make waste mountains and hills, v. 16. And I will bring the blind, v. 17. They shall be turned back,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Isa 42:10-12. Sing unto the Lord, &c. The nations are here, in the most elegant manner, exhorted to praise and extol Jehovah, for the singular blessing conferred upon them, by calling them to his truth, and enlightening them with his grace. There is nothing difficult in the passage, though it will be greatly illustrated by Psa 96:11; Psa 97:1; Isa 35:10; Isa 49:13.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 42:10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and] his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
Ver. 10. Sing unto the Lord a new song. ] The disputation being ended, and God having clearly got the better, the prophet singeth this gratulatory song, and calleth upon others to bear a part with him therein, and especially for Christ and his benefits before mentioned.
Ye that go down to the sea,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 42:10-13
10Sing to the LORD a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.
You islands, and those who dwell on them.
11Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
12Let them give glory to the LORD
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13The LORD will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.
Isa 42:10-13 These verses parallel the universal emphasis of the Coastlands of Isa 41:1. The Gentiles eagerly wait for light (i.e., Isa 2:2-4; Isa 40:4-6; Isa 49:6).
For those who seek light, YHWH is a refuge and help (Isa 42:6-7), but for those who cling to idols He is a warrior (Isa 42:13)!
There are several commands in these verses.
1. sing – BDB 1010, KB 1479, Qal IMPERATIVE, Isa 42:10
2. lift up their voices – BDB 669, KB 724, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, Isa 42:11
3. sing aloud – BDB 943, KB 1247, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, Isa 42:11
4. shout for joy – BDB 846, KB 1011, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, Isa 42:11
5. give glory – BDB 962, KB 1321, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, Isa 42:12
6. declare – BDB 619, KB 665, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, Isa 42:12
Isa 42:10 The last two lines of Isa 42:10 refer to the same group as coastlands of Isa 41:1 (cf. Isa 42:12 b).
1. you who go down to the sea
2. you islands
Isa 42:11 Kedar This (BDB 871) possibly refers to the Arab nations. The Hebrew root can refer to
1. nomadic Arabian tribes – Isa 21:16; Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7; Jer 2:10; Jer 49:28; Eze 27:21
2. descendants of Ishmael – Gen 25:13; 1Ch 1:29
Sela This means Rock (BDB 709). This possibly refers to Petra, the capital of Edom (BDB 701, cf. Isa 16:1).
sing aloud. . .shout for joy What are they rejoicing about? The glory of YHWH has come to them (Isa 42:12 a). The light has come to the nations (Isa 42:6 d). That light is the covenant people and their knowledge of YHWH!
Isa 42:13 This describes in military terms the Lord’s attack against the idolatrous nations that oppose His will and His people’s return.
1. He will go forth like a warrior
2. He will arouse His zeal like a man of war
3. He will utter a shout
4. He will raise a war cry
5. He will prevail against His enemies (i.e., idolaters, cf. Isa 42:17)
The term zeal (BDB 888) is also used in Isa 9:7; Isa 26:11; Isa 37:32; Isa 59:17 to show YHWH’s purposeful actions that assure victory!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Isa 42:10-17
Isa 42:10-13
“Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands. Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man; he will stir up his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies.”
Concerning these verses, Archer noted that, “These represent the Gentiles as singing praises to God for their deliverance and conversion, and rejoicing with Israel over God’s conquest over all his foes. How marvelous all over the world has been the fulfillment of this prophecy of Christian singing. Creeds and doctrines are disputed and are even found to be contradictory; but the whole Christian world rejoices in the great songs of God’s church. No Old Testament prophecy was ever more gloriously fulfilled than this one has been. As Henderson commented, “This paragraph describes the universal joy which the publication of the Gospel should occasion.
Both Kedar and Sela were bitter enemies of Israel. Sela was one name of the Edomite city also called Petra, thus both of these being accounted Gentiles by the Jews. “Their mention here demonstrates the breadth of God’s grace; but see the next paragraph.
Isa 42:14-17
“I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself; now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them. They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, Ye are our gods.”
This paragraph is not limited to God’s judgment of pagan nations but applies to all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike. “I have long time” refrained myself reminds us of Paul’s words in Rom 9:22 ff, where is mentioned the “longsuffering” of God in putting up with the repeated rebellions of the Jews. This paragraph shows that God’s grace, just mentioned, is not a mere relaxing of God’s requirements, or a softening of his attitude toward evil. On the other hand, “This paragraph shows God’s fury against evil (Isa 42:13-14) and his pent-up zeal to redress it … salvation will only come through judgment, and will not be for the impenitent (Isa 42:17). Compare Isa 63:1-6.”
There are certainly overtones of the final judgment in this paragraph, another instance where temporal judgment to be executed upon some earthly situation is to be understood typically of the Great Judgment at the second advent of Christ. Other examples are the judgments against Sodom, Gomorrah, Nineveh, Babylon, Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Locust Plague in Joel and many others. Although the particular judgment referred to here may not be clearly identifiable, it appears likely that the judgment of the blind and deaf servant (the fleshly Israel) could very well be the one indicated.
Isa 42:10-12 SING TO JEHOVAH: Gods people are invited to sing. The motive for this is the promise of the coming Servant and the great victory He will win and the deliverance He will accomplish. The work of the Servant will be so unique (spiritual deliverance) that it will be a NEW song. The subject matter for the lyrics of this song has never been available before (the redemption of the Christ). Gods people have always been able to sing praises for Gods love, power, deliverance (cf. Psa 40:3; Psa 42:8; Psa 96:1; Psa 98:1; Psa 149:1; Isa 30:29, etc.). But this new song will be one unknown to angels for it will be known only to the redeemed (cf. Rev 14:3; Rev 15:3-4). It will be a song to be sung by the universal kingdom of God-people from the western isles (Gentile regions) will sing it (Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:12-17). No area is to be excluded from the invitation to sing this new song-not even those who dwell in wilderness (sparsely inhabited) regions. Of course, one must believe and appropriate the Life the Servant provides before one may sing the song-but all are invited.
This passage, and the many others about songs of believers, would lead us to think that the lyrics of Christian music should be restricted primarily to the objective deeds of God and Christ in the great work of redemption and much less (than in the current fad) to the subjective experience of the song writers. The great redemptive acts of God do not vary and are not dependent upon the vascillating fickleness of human emotions and feelings for their apologetic or persuasive value. Human religious experiences are dependent upon feelings. Not everyone feels the same way all the time. But Gods deeds are always true, no matter how anyone feels. Let them give glory unto Jehovah . . .
Isa 42:13-17 SONG OF JUSTICE: The song will be about Gods long awaited defeat of His enemies having finally been completed. God has, for good reasons of his own, held back in sending the Servant to defeat His enemies once and for all. It has not even been easy for Jehovah to refrain from doing battle and winning the victory. Many prophets and godly men have questioned and will continue (e.g., Habakkuk; the apostles, Act 1:6) to question Gods time-table of kingdom establishment. But God will do things when the time is right (cf. Gal 4:4; Heb 1:1, etc.). And so the time came for God to disarm the principalities and powers and make a public example of them, triumphing over them in him (Col 2:15). That was when He destroyed the power of the devil (Heb 2:14-18). All this will cost God pain and travail. The great Creator will agonize and hurt because in accomplishing the work of redemption He will make Himself vulnerable by loving through the Incarnate Son as He has never loved before. The agony and pain of God will be manifested physically in the Son and His blood-stained cross.
All the things men have depended upon before will be dried up and the blind will be delivered from the enemies of Jehovah by the Servants leading in a way no one knows. It was very apparent when Jesus began to teach concerning the Kingdom of God that no one knew Gods way. Men had to have it revealed to them. So Jesus revealed it-in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Sermon on Parables. Only the humble and penitent were able to recognize the Way. The blind in the passage before us refers to the spiritually blind (cf. Isa 9:2; Isa 61:1-2; Mat 4:12-17; Luk 4:16-30; Joh 9:35-41; Rev 3:15 f).
But while the blind will be led to the light, those who think they see through idolatry (vain philosophies of worldly-minded) will be turned back and utterly put to shame. As a matter of fact, what becomes deliverance for the true Israel of God (the redemptive work of the Servant-death and resurrection), becomes a complete defeat for Gods enemies (idolatry and all other human ideologies). If idolatry and human philosophys attempts to deal with the human predicament (sin) are ever to be put to shame it is through the historically accomplished and historically eyewitnessed bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the light of what God did through this great event, it is the shame of all shames to worship gods of human origin-be they of stone and wood or philosophers minds.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Sing: Isa 24:14-16, Isa 44:23, Isa 49:13, Isa 65:14, Psa 33:3, Psa 40:3, Psa 96:1-3, Psa 98:1-4, Psa 117:1, Psa 117:2, Rom 15:9-11, Rev 5:9, Rev 14:3
ye that go: Psa 107:23-32, Psa 148:1-14, Psa 150:6
all that is therein: Heb. the fulness thereof
the isles: Isa 42:4, Isa 51:5, Isa 60:9, Psa 97:1, Zep 2:11
Reciprocal: Gen 10:5 – isles Psa 66:4 – General Psa 67:4 – O let Psa 96:12 – General Psa 100:1 – Make Psa 103:22 – all his works Psa 105:2 – Sing unto Psa 113:3 – General Psa 149:1 – Sing Son 2:12 – time Isa 24:15 – isles Isa 35:2 – and rejoice Isa 52:9 – Break Isa 54:1 – break Isa 55:12 – the mountains Isa 65:18 – General Jer 31:7 – Sing Jer 31:10 – declare Zep 3:14 – shout Zec 2:10 – and rejoice Mal 1:11 – and in Mat 24:31 – from Mar 16:15 – into Luk 2:31 – General Joh 10:16 – other Act 1:8 – unto Act 8:8 – General Rom 15:10 – General Rev 5:13 – such
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 42:10; Isa 42:12. Sing unto the Lord a new song Upon this new and great occasion, the salvation of the world by Christ. It is with peculiar propriety and elegance that the nations are here called upon and exhorted to praise and extol Jehovah, for the singular blessing conferred upon them by the gospel. And his praise from the end of the earth All nations, from one end of the earth to another. Ye that go down to the sea You that go by sea, carry these glad tidings from Judea, where Christ was born, and lived, and died, and published the gospel, unto the remotest parts of the earth. Let the wilderness, &c. Those parts of the world which are now desolate and forsaken of God, and barren of all good fruits. The villages that Kedar doth inhabit The Arabians, who were a heathen and barbarous people, and are put for all nations. Let them shout from the top of the mountains Whose inhabitants are commonly more savage and ignorant than others. Let them declare his praise in the islands In the remotest parts of the world, as well as in Arabia, which was near to them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 42:10-13. The Whole Earth is Summoned to Praise Yahweh, for He is about to Take the Field against His Foes.Nations from one end of the earth to the other, the sea, the far lands, the deserts, and all dwellers therein, must swell this pan. Yahweh will utter a war-cry, and go forth on a triumphant expedition against His foes.
Isa 42:10. ye . . . sea: read, let the sea roar.
Isa 42:11. Kedar: the wandering tent-dwellers.Sela: the rocky fastnesses.
Isa 42:13. jealousy: warlike rage.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
God’s purposes for His servants 42:10-44:22
The section of Isaiah that I have titled "God’s promises to His servants" (Isa 41:1 to Isa 42:9) sets the stage and introduces themes that Isaiah proceeded to develop in this section. Those themes are the certainty of redemption (Isa 42:10 to Isa 43:7), the witness to redemption (Isa 43:8 to Isa 44:20), and the memory of redemption (Isa 44:21-22).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
A new song arises in Scripture when someone has learned of something powerful and good that God has done or will do (cf. ch. 12; Psa 33:3; Psa 40:3; Psa 96:1; Psa 98:1; Psa 144:9; Rev 5:9; Rev 14:3). Here it is salvation through the Servant that prompts this song of praise (cf. Isa 6:3). Isaiah called on everyone to praise the Lord because the Servant’s ministry would benefit the whole earth. People living on the farthest seacoasts and in the desert lands should praise Him. Kedar, a son of Ishmael (Gen 25:13), was also the name of a town in the Arabian Desert (cf. Isa 21:16-17; Isa 60:7). Sela was near modern Petra and was the mountain fortress city of Edom (cf. Isa 16:1). These people in various places represent diverse sources from which universal praise should come to the Lord.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The certainty of redemption 42:10-43:7
God had not forgotten, nor was He unable to deliver His people (cf. Exo 3:7-9). Their redemption was certain.
"This vision of what God will accomplish through his Servant is so exciting that Isaiah breaks into the ecstatic hymn of praise (Isa 42:10-13), which then functions as a bridge from this section, Isa 41:1 to Isa 42:9, into the next, Isa 42:10 to Isa 44:22." [Note: Oswalt, The Book . . . 40-66, p. 109.]